Footy Tragic

The Team:

Essendon’s young list finally began to gel together throughout 2009, albeit sporadically. The hope is that they can continue on from where they left off last year, despite the loss of two veteran goal kickers, Lloyd and Lucas. They have plenty of kids to fill their places, but the only worry is that many of them are untried, therefore forecasting an uncertainty of direction for Essendon’s 2010 campaign. The internal hope is that they will continue upwards from their solitary 2009 finals appearance, and anything less than that would be considered a failure. They have the cattle to do it, especially after discovering some great young talent in 2009 in the form of Hurley, Ryder and Zaharakis. The only question is – are they too young to back 2009 up, especially with the amount of teams staking a claim for a top-eight spot in 2010? Essendon are OK Dream Teamers – their only issue is the inability of players to play a full season, seemingly always struck down by injury. I wouldn’t load up on Essendon’s list, but some of their third or fourth year players (and young veterans with something to prove) could certainly prove to be worth a spot in your team.

Who’s Hot?:

Mark McVeigh ($268,400): After a 2009 marred by injury and suspension, McVeigh has been carving a determined figure this pre-season. He is injury free and looking very fit. Starred in the intra-club and is a bargain at his starting price.

Brent Prismall ($419,600): Has had a full pre-season after he spent 2008/2009 recovering from a knee reconstruction. He is looking fit and being talked up as a future leader at the club.

Scott Gumbleton ($94,500): Not a standout, but he is on the park – a feat in its own right. He is so highly rated it is ridiculous – we just need to see it on the field, but this could (touch-wood) be his season. He WILL play if fit.

Andrew Welsh ($374,400): Had most of his 2009 cut down with injury, but has spent this pre-season working like a dog and is very fit. He will play a big role in the midfield, seeing his point scoring go skyward.

Who’s Not?:

Jason Laycock: Missed 2009 with injuries that proceeded to ruin most of his pre-season. Only this week, he sustained a calf injury, pushing his rehab further back a month.

David Hille: Is still recovering from a knee reconstruction he received mid way through 2009. Despite the hype of his game in the intra-club, it must be remembered he kicked two goals whilst only matched up on a third year player. Apparently, his knee was very sore and inflamed after the match. He is still progressing ok for round one, but proceed with extreme caution!

Tyson Slattery: Stress fracture in his fibula – still not participating in full training.

Michael Hurley: Wrist injury derailed his pre-season, meaning he has been nursed through most contact drills. This will unfortunately make him underdone for the start of the season.

David Myers: Recent hamstring injury has put his pre-season on hold for a few weeks. Otherwise he is looking quite a fit unit.

The Bargain:

Mark McVeigh ($268,400): Mark McVeigh was odds-on favorite for the captaincy at Essendon… up until the second half of 2009. He got suspended – once on the field, and once off it – all but putting to sleep any dreams he had for the role. That, along with his continual injuries, McVeigh’s 2009 was one he would probably rather forget. And that is exactly what it seems like he is doing – he has been working very hard to prove to both his teammates and supporters that he does deserve to wear the red and black guernsey. He is looking very fit, and has proven such with his best-on-ground display at the club’s intra-club hitout, kicking two goals whilst playing in the midfield. The other positive of his 2010 season is that he will be playing purely as a midfielder (who I assume will rest in a forward pocket). In previous seasons, he has shown an ability to win large amounts of the ball and is trusted with it by his teammates (his average dream team points dropped by an average of 28 per game from 2008 to 2009, which is huge!). I expect he is worth significantly more money than his attached price-tag, and due to that is one of the bigger bargains of the 2010 season. All we can do is hope that neither his body nor his head let him down again.

The Kid:

Scott Gumbleton ($94,500): Gumbleton is one of the higher ranked juniors in the AFL system, however he has played a grand total of just five games! The only reason behind this low tally is injury – hamstring tears, broken collarbones and back complaints. Now that both Lloyd and Lucas have left the nest, Essendon will be desperate for Gumby to play some games this year, as he will be relied upon as one of their main forward-50 targets. So far this pre-season, he has trained strongly and seems to have put his injury woes behind him. The only worry is that this is what we were saying at this time last year, until he broke down again in the NAB cup. I have a suspicion that he may be more likely to play this year – I feel he was rushed last year and that is what caused the stress in his back. This time, he has had all year to recover, with the fitness staff taking every step to make sure he is 100% before playing any games. I think that if he gets named (even for the NAB cup), it infers the coaches are confident in his body – they would rather wait to round 10 and him be ok than lose him again before the year even kicks off. However, if he does play, don’t expect him to be kicking five goals a game. Put him down for an OK average of 50 – enough for him to push for a price of a little over $200,000. Essentially, he could be a great bench player, but I would not be starting him on the field!

The Premium:

Brent Stanton ($443,600): It is very hard to pick an elite player off Essendon’s list as they are still all maturing, however, Stanton best fits the category. He is predominantly an outside player and therefore loves to play on the Dons home ground – the MCG due to it’s large running space and open wings. His only problem is his consistency – whilst he is able to pull down some massive scores, he is known for throwing in the odd shocker – that is until 2009. For the first time in his career, the difference between Stanton’s best and his worst was far, far less. Where in previous years he ranged from 135, all the way down to 37, in 2009 his lowest score was 56 (against St.Kilda’s Clint Jones) and with a total of only five games scoring below 80. But for his six games over 120 and 12 games over 100, his lower scores become more acceptable. And with an average of 103.8 for the final 10 rounds, Stanton showed he is on the up. Whilst he is not necessarily the most premium of premiums, Stanton still represents good value and has the ability to get better. He is also unique – a forgotten tactic in the world of DT, and one which we all very much love at Footy Tragic!

The Smokey:

Jarrod Atkinson ($240,800): Atkinson played the final five games in 2009, after having played five the year before. I was really impressed by him last year, and put him in my ‘players to watch’ scrapbook I kept whilst writing my Weekly Wrap articles (only one more week till they re-start baby!!). He is a pacy rebounding defender, now trusted with the ball by his teammates. Honestly, in his first couple of games, his lack of trust for his own boot didn’t help him, but as he began to trust himself, his deliveries out of defence became much more accurate. As time went on, his teammates would also trust him more as he was given more of a creative license off the back-line. But just as he was hitting his straps, the season unfortunately ended. I am hoping he can take that form into this year with the blessing of Knights to drive the ball out of the defensive-50. If he can become a regular, and presents some form in the NAB cup, there is every chance he could become a big improver this year.